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Posted on 1.29.25
Families attended Dorothy J. Vaughan (DJV) Academy of Technology’s “Quarter 2 Computer Science Showcase: Coding Success” on Jan. 23 to get a taste of what their students are learning every day. DJV is a full K-5 magnet school with a Computer Science Immersion theme, and the event opened the door on how science, technology, engineering and 
math (STEM) are integrated into the curriculum at every grade level.
“We value that time because that’s the opportunity for us to educate our parents, and they feel like learners,” said DJV Principal Toyia Matthews. “We start every showcase with 15 minutes of background knowledge, making connections, taking that knowledge and seeing it in the classroom, so you as a parent are now part of the learning and part of the process.
“That’s how you get the buy-in, and that’s why the culture here is so strong,” she said. “They have to be a piece of that puzzle, or it’s isolated and the students don't feel a connection of enthusiasm or purpose because their parents don't understand and don’t find value. So we take that out, bring them to the table, and they get to learn in the beginning, see it in action and follow up at home.”
The school works with The Dot. Consulting, using the Buckets Computer Science framework for programming, digital, data and infrastructure. The framework clarifies not only what computer science is, but also what students should know and be able to do in computer science from computational thinking to application.
Lewis Jeter Jr. attended the Computer Science Showcase to see the progress made by his kindergartner and third grader. He said he works in technology and is glad to see his children learning and enjoying it.
“Computer science is very important in today’s age,” he said. “When we saw this (magnet school) opportunity, we had to jump on it. We hear about coding every day, and to me, it shows excitement. They’re excited to go to school every day, which makes learning successful for them.”
Dorothy J. Vaughan Academy of Technology opened in 2017 as the first school named for Vaughan, a Black mathematician and NASA manager who was instrumental in the space program and immortalized in the movie “Hidden Figures.” It was one of the top 10 schools with the most growth in literacy in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, based on end-of-grade scores for the 2023-24 school year, and was placed in the top 20th percentile of schools in North Carolina.
